
EMERGENCY AID 



OF 
1776 



Compiled and published at request of 

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE 
EMERGENCY AID OF PENNSYLVANIA 



BY 
ANNE von MOSCHZISKER 
Chairman of Polish Committee 



1917 



TOWN PRINTING COMPANY 
1025 Callowhill Street 



# Of 0. 
JAN 23 1918 



THE EMERGENCY AID 

OF 1776 



Recently I had occasion to go over some books inherited 
from my father, and, among others, found two of peculiar 
interest, one entitled, "Life and Correspondence of Presi- 
dent Reed," the other, "Life of Esther Reed." Since my 
family claim a paternal ancestor named Reed, I was moved 
to glance into these volumes, and my curiosity was re- 
warded by discovering therein a mine of information con- 
cerning what, for the want of a better term, I shall call the 
Emergency Aid of 1776, or of the American Revolution. 

Esther Reed was born in England, where Joseph Reed 
met her, when reading law at the Inns of Court, London; 
she was the daughter of an English merchant with Ameri- 
can commercial connections, named De Berdt. After 
a romantic courtship, Mr. Reed and Miss De Berdt were mar- 
ried, and journeyed to Philadelphia, where they subsequently 
lived. In 1778, Mr. Reed became President of the Execu- 
tive Council of the State of Pennsylvania, later, Colonel in 
the American Army, occupying a position on the staff of 
General Washington and serving as his militarv secretary, 
then, Adjutant General of the Continental Army, and, 
finally, he was elected a member of the Congress of the 
United States. 

The two books to which I refer were written by Joseph 
Reed's grandson, William B. Reed, who, in the one upon 
his illustrious grandsire, at page 260, states: "The close of 
Mrs. Reed's life was marked by some little public interest. 
In the spring of 1780, at the period of the greatest distress 



r 



and suffering, the ladies of Philadelphia united for the pur- 
pose of collecting, by voluntary subscriptions, supplies in 
money and clothing for the army. . . . Mrs. Reed was 
placed at the head of this voluntary association. . . . 
On June 20th of that year, Mr. Reed, in a letter to Washing- 
ton, said: The ladies have caught the happy contagion, and 
in a few days Mrs. Reed will have the honour of writing to 
you on the subject. It is expected she will have a sum equal 
to 100,000 pounds, to be laid out according to your Excel- 
lency's direction in such a way as may be thought most hon- 
orable and gratifying to the brave old soldiers who have 
borne so great a share of the burden of this war. 
We have just heard that Mrs. Washington is on the road to 
this city, so we shall have the benefit of her advice and 
assistance here, and, if necessary, refer afterwards to your 
Excellency.' " 

It appears that the work of Mrs. Reed's committee was 
conducted in this city and adjacent districts. In Philadelphia 
proper, the women collected upwards of $300,000 (con- 
tinental currency), which, according to its depreciated value, 
was worth about $7,500 in gold. While, today, the latter 
sum seems insignificant, yet its value in 1780 may be appre- 
ciated when we consider that, at about this time, the mer- 
chants of Philadelphia and others started a bank with a capi- 
tal of $7,900. or, as said by the author of the book before 
me, only "about 400 specie dollars more than was contrib- 
uted for mere charity by the ladies of this city." 

In a letter to General Washington, on July 4, 1780, 
Mrs. Reed says that her committee had communicated with 
"the other states," in "hopes the ladies there will adopt 
similar plans"; and it appears that, at least, New Jersey, 
Delaware and Maryland satisfactorily responded. 

The number of contributors was 1645, and, as stated 
by the author of the books before me, "All classes of society 
seem to have united, from Phillis, the colored woman, with 
her humble 7s 6d, to the Marchioness de Lafayette, who 



contributed 100 guineas in specie, and the Countess de Lu- 
zerne, who contributed 150 dollars in specie. 

The loo-guinea contribution came through General 
Lafayette, who wrote a most charming letter from army 
headquarters: in which he said the writer was full of ad- 
miration for the endeavors of "the fair ones of Philadel- 
phia," who had "taken the lead" in the war relief work, add- 
ing, "I know of one who, heartily wishing for a personal 
acquaintance with the ladies of America, would feel particu- 
larly happy tc be admitted among them on the present oc- 
casion," meaning, of course, the Marchioness; and he ends 
his communication thus: "Without presuming to break in 
upon the rules of your respected association, may I most 
humbly present myself as her ambassador . . . and 
solicit in her name that you accept her offering." 

A series of letters passed between Mrs. Reed, as Chair- 
man of the Committee, and General Washington, as head 
of the Army, which enter into most minute details concern- 
ing supplies to be furnished by the former. In one of these, 
Mrs. Reed asks whether the General would rather have 
2000 shirts or $2, "hard cash," for each soldier. In reply 
Washington took the shirts, saying that "a taste of hard 
money might be productive of much discontent" in th" 
army, that "a few provident soldiers would probably avail 
themselves of the advantages which would result from the 
generous bounty of two hard dollars in specie, but it is 
equally probable that it will be the means of bringing punish- 
ment on a number of others whose propensity to drinking, 
overcoming all other considerations, too frequently leads 
them into irregularities and disorder which must be cor- 
rected." Then the General goes on to say that "a shirt 
would render the condition of the soldiery much more com- 
fortable." All of which shows the simple matters with 
which the Father of our country had to cope, and indicates 
the simplicity of those days, when each sold'er counted as 
an individual, and not merely as a component part of a 
great fighting machine, as today. 



Mrs. Reed apparently enjoyed the confidence of Wash- 
ington and was one of his strong supporters. In a letter 
to her husband, written in 1780, a short time before her 
death, she intimates some misunderstanding between Mr. 
Reed and the General; for she states, "I hope you will sus- 
pend. any decided judgment on the General's conduct until 
you see him, he may probably explain it to your satisfaction, 
and remember, my friend, no one is entirely proof against 
the arts of misrepresentation, or can always act right when 
those in whom they place confidence make it a point to de- 
ceive, or are themselves deceived." 

This noble woman seems to have overworked herself 
in the cause of her country, and, as a result, died on Septem- 
ber 18, 1780. The whole community united in a tribute to 
her memory, the Council and Assembly adjourning to attend 
her funeral in a body. After this, the lead in war relief 
work appears to have been taken over by Mrs. Sarah Bache, 
the daughter of Dr. Franklin, who was assisted by four other 
members of Mrs. Reed's committee, namely: Henrietta Hil- 
legas, wife of Michael Hillegas, first Treasurer of the United 
States, who, before her marriage, was Henrietta Bonde, 
daughter of Samuel Bcnde, a well-known merchant of Phila- 
delphia; Anne Francis, wife of Trench Francis, the younger, 
who, before her marriage, was Anne Willing, a descendant 
of Edward Shippen, the first Mayor of our City; Maiy 
Clarkson, wife of Matthew Clarkson, later the Mayor of 
Philadelphia, who, before her marriage, was the daughter of 
Thomas Bonde; and Susan Blair, who, so far as I can ascer- 
tain, was probably the wife of Rev. Samuel Blair, of Ger- 
mantown, then a Chaplain in the American Army. 

Mrs. Bache continued the correspondence with Wash- 
ington, informing him that she had packed the shirts re- 
ferred to in the above quoted letters, 2005 in number, and 
saying that she hoped the soldiers would wear them with 
as much pleasure as it had given the ladies to make them. 

In February, 1780, the General wrote a letter addressed 
to "Mrs. Francis, Mrs. Hillegas, Mrs. Clarkson, Mrs. Bach<~: 



and Mrs. Blair," in which, referring to the death of Mrs. 
Reed, he said, "The benevolent office which added lustre to 
the qualities that ornamented your deceased friend could not 
have descended to more zealous or more deserving suc- 
cessors. The contributions of the association you represent 
have exceeded what could have been expected, and the 
spirit that animated the members of it entitles them to an 
equal place with any who have preceded them on the walk 
of female patriotism. It embellishes the American character 
with a new trait, by proving that the love of country is 
blended with those softer domestic virtues which have al- 
ways been allowed to be peculiarly your own. 
The Army ought not to regret their sacrifices or sufferings, 
when they meet with so flattering a reward as the sympathy 
of your sex, nor can they fear that their interests will be 
neglected, while espoused by advocates as powerful as they 
are amiable." 

At the back of the life of Mr. Reed, the author prints 
various lists of subscribers, and states, "The original of 
the following subscription papers are in my possession; 1 
am tempted here to insert them, in order to perpetuate the 
individual munificence of the times." 

The first of these accounts shows the city divided into 
districts, and gives the names of the women at the head of 
each district, as follows: - 

1. Mrs. G. B. Eyre Coates and Mrs. J. B. Smith, for 

Northern Liberties. 

2. Mrs. F Wade, from Vine to Race Streets. 

3. Mrs. Hutchinson Hasenclever, Mrs. Hillegas, Mr. and 

Mrs. Clarkson, from Race to Arch Streets. 

4. Mrs. Thompson Richards, Mrs. J. Blair, and Mrs. T. 

Smith, Arch to Market Streets. 

5. Mrs. R. Bache, T. Francis, Mrs. J. Mitchell, Mrs. J. 

Caldwell and Mrs. B. McClenachan, Market to 
Chestnut Streets. 

6. Mrs. S. Caldwell, B. Rush, Chestnut to Walnut Streets. 

7. Mrs. J. Mease and Mrs. James Wilson, Walnut to 

Spruce Streets. 

5 



8. Mrs. T. McKean, J. Searle, J. Mease, Mrs. Dr. Shippen 

and Mrs. R. Morris, Spruce to Pine Streets. 

9. Mrs. W. Turnbull and J. Benezet, Pine to South Sis. 

10. Mrs. Marsh, Ord. Blewer, Knox and Penrose, South- 

ward 

11. Mrs. H. Hill, Mrs. Hillegas,' M. Clarkson, T. Hasencle- 

ver and Mrs. R. Bache, Germantown and Bettle- 
hausen. 

Subsequent accounts contain > lists of individual con- 
tributors, and many interesting Philadelphia names are to 
be found therein, suggesting families that are still prominent 
and active in the affairs of the community; among others: 



Arnold 


Crozier 


Grubb 


Ashmead 


Can- 


Galloway 




Cox 


Gri scorn 


Benezet 


Cunningham 




Bright 


Craig 


1 familton 


Bush 


Coleman 


Harrison 


Boyer 


Claypoole 


Hopkinson 


Barney 


Cbevalier 


Hutchinson 


Barry 


Dickenson 


Holland 


Bond 


Hall 


Bruce 


Davis 


I [are 


Bache 


Dick 

Draper 


Hodge 


Bartram 


Hoffman 


Berrv 


Dickinson 
Delaney 


Hood 


Biddle 


Humphreys 


Bringhurst 


Davis 


Hunt 


Barclay 


Darrah 




Bell 
Bridges 


Drinker 


Inglis 


Dehaas 


Irwin 


1 lowers 


Dmveas 


Keen 


Brice 


Emlen 


Keith 


Bingham 


Evans 




Baker 




Lewis 


Beck- 


Fuller 


Lawrence 


Bird 


Fisher 


Lardner 


Bartholomew 


Fithbourn 


Leiper 


Bryan 


Fenton 


Logan 




Fox 


Lohra 


Clymer 


Foulke 


Lamar 


Cramp 


Fl ah a van 




Caruthers . 




McCail 


Crawford 


Gratz 


Montgomery 



Marten 


Peale 


Sergeant 


Mitchell 


Pendleton 


Sevbert 


Morris 


Patterson 


Saunders 


Morgan 


Perkins 


Snowden 


Murray 


Peltz 


Si nuns 


Middleton 


Phillips 


Sparhawk 


Meredith 


Parker 


Stewart 


McKean 


Pemberton 


Say 


Markoe 


Pennell 




Matlack 


Phile 


Turnbull 


Muhlenberg 


Plumsted 


Truxton 


McFadden 




Taylor 


McCalla 


Ralston 




Mickle 


Randolph 


Valentine 




Rush 


Vaughan 


Nelson 


Robins 




Nixon 


Russell 


Willing 


Naglee 


Rundel 


Wainvvvight 


Nice 


Randolph 


Warner 




Rutter 


Wood 


( )gden 




Wilkinson 




Scott 


White 


Penrose 


Sewell 


Williams 


Peters 


Sellers 


Wharton 


Price 


Shippen 


Welsh 


Purviance 


Stokes 





Of the two books referred to in the beginning of this 
paper, 5 first read the life of Esther Reed, but did not find 
therein the names of the contributors; in a, search for these, 
I communicated with the librarians of the Historical Society 
of Pennsylvania, and of the Congressional Library at Wash- 
ington, but without success. I feared that 1 would not be 
able to find the lists; but, on a recent visit to Pittsburgh, I 
discovered the other book, and therein my quest was re- 
warded, I am indebted to Miss Leach for valuable counsel, 
and for verifying much of the information contained in 
this brief sketch of the Emergency Aid of 1776, which 1 
trust will be interesting to my co-workers in the like move- 
ment in which we are now engaged. 

ANNE VON MOSCHZISKER. 



November, 1917. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



011 698 875 6 



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pH 8.5 

Mill Run F3-1719 



